Abu Dhabi-listed steel and building materials manufacturer Emirates Steel Arkan (ESA) announced on Tuesday that it has signed an agreement with Finland’s MAGSORT to initiate an industrial pilot project targeting a CO2 footprint reduction up to 15 percent at Al Ain Cement plant.

The project involves the deployment of proprietary MAGSORT solution to process steel slag, while reducing both limestone and fuel consumption.

Saeed Ghumran Al Remeithi, Group Chief Executive Officer, Emirates Steel Arkan, said the project, which follows through from the company’s COP28 commitment last year, will contribute to the UAE First Long-Term Strategy (LTS) targets towards Net Zero by 2050.

“The possibility to process steel slag produced by Emirates Steel, is also an extraordinary example of circular economy within UAE, where both business units (Steel and Building Materials) will develop solid economical synergies while contributing to sustainable practices,” he said.  

Hugo Losada, CEO of Building Materials, an ESA company, said the collaboration with MAGSORT will drive ESA’s decarbonisation agenda.

He said: “Al Ain cement plant will be the first large scale industrial pilot project in the MENA region for this solution. The objective is to achieve by 2026 the decarbonisation targets defined for 2030 [40 percent reduction], placing ESA as the industry leader in the MENA region, while placing a solid step forward towards the decarbonisation of cement.”

The project investments weren’t disclosed.

The region’s first carbon capture, transportation and storage facility at Al Reyadah in Abu Dhabi, set up by ADNOC, processes up to 800,000 tons of CO₂ per year captured at Emirates Steel Arkan.

Read more:  Emirates Steel Arkan, A³&Co. collaborate for cement decarbonization ahead of COP28

Emirates Steel Arkan, Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development and ITOCHU sign MoU

(Editing by Anoop Menon)

(anoop.menon@lseg.com)

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